Philosophy matters

Let’s sit down and think for a moment

Article: Dan Sherven – Contributor

A peculiar thought to contemplate is that of multiverse theory. The theory states that there are an infinite amount of universes all co-existing at the exact same time in a larger multiverse. This is true to the extent that every single possible combination of events and subsequent effects has existed, will exist, or do exist. This means that every imaginable chain of decisions and subsequent events exists somehow in our universe – even if not at the present time. Your girlfriend is dating literally everyone but is dating you in different universes throughout the multiverse.

This theory also holds that there are portals – from one universe to another – that act as a superhighway between universes across the vast multiverse. This means that within every one of these portals there are potentially hundreds upon billions of galaxies. That’s galaxies! Not solar systems. You more likely know these portals as black holes.

The implications that further scientific backing of this theory would be tremendous. For one thing, it is possible that major organized religions would see a drastic decline in religious observance as the scale of the universe is held to be much larger than the perception of it taught through those groups. It is also possible that such a shocking revelation could bring about a resurgence in worldwide religious observance, whether it be organized religion or not. Regardless, it is a safe assumption that common people would come together as they are enlightened in the respect that they better understand their insignificance in the grand scheme of existence. This humbling realization may even spur on a bout of humanist nationalism wherein borders such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, socio-economic and intellectual class are torn down in favor of the flowering of this universe’s human race.

Furthermore, there is a plethora of ramifications that multiverse theory would hold on morality and everyday decision-making. If every decision we make in our universe exists somewhere else in the multiverse, then our decisions as they pertain to ethics and all other events are not actually decisions in the usual sense of the word. This is evidenced by the fact that we would not be making decisions about which actions and consequences will happen; instead, we would only be deciding which actions and consequences we will experience. Every single possible action and consequence is playing out somewhere in the fabric of the multiverse. Therefore, the decision cannot be about what will happen – everything is already happening at some point in time – the decision is only about what particular universe we choose to experience. This rings true for all decisions and subsequent events in the multiverse.

There is also something to be said about multiverse theory and the realm of human consciousness. For if every decision’s subsequent events already exist somewhere in the multiverse, then it is not so much the decision and its subsequent events being displayed to the mind of the observer through the observer’s actions, but rather it is the mind of the observer that is brought to the decision and subsequent events taking place in another universe. The mind doesn’t dictate reality through decision-making; it simply dictates which path through reality it will experience through decision making. To clarify, I use mind and consciousness interchangeably as I reason that consciousness is an essential feature of mind. You cannot have mind without consciousness, you can only have brain matter.

Think about this for the next couple of days and tell me that philosophy doesn’t matter.

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About Our Contributors

The University of Regina's thriving community fuels our content at the Carillon! If you've got a story worth sharing or are interested in contributing please let us know! Send an email to editor@carillonregina.com and subscribe to our pitch list!